Skip to main content

Forbiddance

Abjuration
Level: 6th-level
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Duration: 24 hours
Components: V, S, M
Materials: A sprinkling of holy water, rare incense, and powdered ruby worth at least 1,000 gp.

You create a ward against magical travel that protects up to 40,000 square feet of floor space to a height of 30 feet above the floor. For the duration, creatures can't teleport into the area or use portals, such as those created by the gate spell, to enter the area. The spell proofs the area against planar travel, and therefore prevents creatures from accessing the area by way of the Astral Plane, Ethereal Plane, Feywild, Shadowfell, or the plane shift spell. In addition, the spell damages types of creatures that you choose when you cast it. Choose one or more of the following: celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. When a chosen creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, the creature takes 5d10 radiant or necrotic damage (your choice when you cast this spell). When you cast this spell, you can designate a password. A creature that speaks the password as it enters the area takes no damage from the spell. The spell's area can't overlap with the area of another forbiddance spell. If you cast forbiddance every day for 30 days in the same location, the spell lasts until it is dispelled, and the material components are consumed on the last casting.

Ritual

Spell Details

School: Abjuration
Level: 6
Ritual: Yes
Concentration: No
Classes: Cleric, Ritual Caster
A-Tier Exceptional defensive utility for protecting locations; creates a no-teleport zone that fundamentally restricts enemy mobility and escape routes.

Player Guide

Cast Forbiddance on your base, stronghold, or key strategic location to completely shut down teleportation-based tactics like Dimension Door, Misty Step, and scrying-based attacks. The massive 40,000 sq ft coverage (roughly 200x200 ft) makes it ideal for protecting entire towns, dungeons, or fortress complexes. Combine with Watch Tower or magical barriers to create an impenetrable defensive perimeter that forces enemies into conventional approaches.

DM Tips

Forbiddance persists for 1 day per spell level (6+ days), making it a long-term defensive investment; consider using it as a narrative reason why enemies must engage conventionally rather than teleporting past defenses. Remember the spell has a 10-minute casting time and requires 1,000 gp of diamond dust, making emergency casting impractical.